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Foundation Fact Sheet

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmann and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

(1) As of December 31, 2017. Financial figures are rounded to the nearest hundred million.(2) Includes grant payments made by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and previous foundations of the Gates family (William H. Gates Foundation, Gates Library Foundation, and Gates Learning Foundation) from 1994 onward.(3) Includes grant payments and direct charitable contracts, but not Program Related Investments.(4) Annually, the foundation receives an installment of the gift pledged by Warren Buffett. The endowment balance includes these donations, which were received as follows:

August 24, 2006: $1.6 billion

July 11, 2007: $1.8 billion

July 1, 2008: $1.8 billion

July 1, 2009: $1.3 billion

July 1, 2010: $1.6 billion

July 7, 2011: $1.5 billion

July 6, 2012: $1.5 billion

July 8, 2013: $2.0 billion

July 14, 2014: $2.1 billion

July 6, 2015: $2.2 billion

July 13, 2016: $2.2 billion

July 17, 2017: $2.4 billion

Geographic Reach

The foundation supports grantees in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Internationally, we support work in more than 130 countries.